


Cats Know Best

by fors_manus



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, M/M, frumpkin is best matchmaker, this started out as a modern!au and then developed into a cafe!au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 10:30:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20356993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fors_manus/pseuds/fors_manus
Summary: Waking up to the sight of a cat that was not your own sleeping in your bed was a first in Fjord's books. Now having to care for a creature that gives his allergies a run for their gold, Fjord is stuck with having to search for the owner whilst juggling work, his friend's love life, and the upcoming fall season.Oh, and also there's a cute red head that comes to Fjord's cafe regularly that mentioned losing a friend recently...





	Cats Know Best

**Author's Note:**

> To all those who messaged and commented on the draft version of this fic, thank you so so much!! It meant a lot to know that writing near 6,000 words wasn't for naught and actually caught people's attention. I'm hoping to make this into a 3-5 chaptered story with lots of happy times and new character additions as I am... only on episode 30...
> 
> Enjoy everybody!! Thank you so much for sticking around! <3

Fjord was allergic to cats.

Not severely, he’s not heartless enough to pass off petting the occasional street cat if they meow for his attention when walking down a street.

But enough so that when Fjord visited the new Cat Café in town with Jester and Beau, he had been forced to leave less than 10 minutes later when the cat hairs became too much for his poor immune system.

Jester was more than apologetic, and though Beau had been laughing her arse off when she followed them out, she had soon become concerned after his sneezes passed the breach of 20 in a row.

Other than cats, Fjord knew of no other allergies he had.

Which made waking up on a bright Friday morning ever the stranger when his first reaction was to sneeze heavily, only to freeze at the disgruntled sound coming from a weight lying upon his chest.

Blinking drowsily, Fjord propped his head up on his pillow to look down at the strange object, stopping abruptly at the sight of a Bengal cat curled up upon his chest, sleeping.

See, the thing is, Fjord likes cats.

He is also aware that his roommate, Mollymauk, is as fond of cats as he is dogs. The other thing being that both he and Molly are aware of the pets restriction their apartment block has.

Therefore, neither he nor Molly own a pet.

Therefore…

“How the ‘ell did you get in ‘ere?” Fjord murmured, his hand coming up cautiously to gently try stroking between the feline’s ears. Feeling the cat’s rumbling purr more than hearing it, Fjord couldn’t help the sleepy smile creeping upon his face as the cat pushed its face into his palm.

The situation was and odd one. He had heard of people finding cats in their homes which didn’t belong to them before when scrolling through the internet. And Fjord assumed that the first thing any sane human would do if they found a stray in their home would be to either kick it out or take it to a vet.

But Fjord wasn’t a human, and as the rays of sunlight slowly filled his bedroom, Fjord felt it only right to laze through the early Friday morning in this one in a lifetime experience.

Spending the next few minutes petting the creature with the occasional sneeze, Fjord eventually took notice of the lack of collar it wore, furthering the mystery of the cat’s origin.

“No name… no address… you a stray, little one?” he asked, watching as one of the cat’s eyes peered open to stare at him.

They were a deep golden colour, it’s slits thin but analyzing. As if the creature knew more than it should, more than Fjord did.

“As nice as this is, little guy,” the half-orc murmered, looking to his bedside table to the digits displaying on his alarm clock, “some of us do have work to go to today.”

As if on queue, a rhythmic knock drummed upon Fjord’s bedroom door, opening not a few moments later to the sight of a smiling purple tiefling dressed in nothing but a bathrobe entering the room.

“Good morning my dear!” Molly sang, dancing across the floor to sweep open the curtains in one dramatic flair, allowing the sunlight to fill up the room much to Fjord’s displeasure.

“The sun is shining! The birds are singing! The weekend is just around the corner! There’s a cat in your bed! There’s a cat in your bed. Fjord, why is a cat in your bed?” Molly’s greeting trailed off, his posture changing from loose to frigid the moment his red eyes landed upon the lump of fur.

“You’re guess is as good as mine,” Fjord groaned as he rubbed his eyes, gently picking the creature from his chest to pull away the covers.

Frowning, Molly walked over to sit next to the half-orc, peering down at the cat who now sat in Fjord’s lap, it’s knowing eyes blinking lazily at the two of them as if this were a normal situation.

“How did it even get in here?” the tiefling wondered aloud, reaching over to scritch the feline’s forehead causing it to lean into his touch.

“Well, now you’re just being adorable,” Molly smiled, purposely moving his petting hand closer to himself so the cat would follow and settle on top of him.

Feeling an itch upon his nose, Fjord rose from his bed and moved to his closet, taking out some work clothes and a fresh towel for a shower. “Don’t get too attached,” he smiled at his friend. “They’re not ours, and even if it is a stray, our landlord said no pets.”

“Oh, I’m sure we could work something out if he’s abandoned,” Molly gave him a side-long look before looking back to the cat, making kissy noises.

“Abandoned?” Fjord frowned.

“Look at him, Fjord!” Molly insisted, picking up the bundle and facing it so it stared up at the half-orc, “His pelt, so shiny and groomed! Being so calm around the both of us despite being strangers! Accepting all the good pets because he’s such a good boy!”

The further he spoke, the higher the pitch of Molly’s voice hit forcing Fjord to restrain from smiling. It would do neither of them any good if they both grew too connected to the mysterious cat, as adorable as it was.

And the tiefling always was good at manipulating, even for a good cause.

“Molly, your attachment is showing,” Fjord sniffed, somehow unable to look away from the cat’s golden gaze as it continued to stare at him.

Molly huffed, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Moving his arms so that the pet was now cradled like a baby, Molly’s colourfully painted fingertips softly scratching its belly as he rocked the feline back and forth.

“Better take that shower soon, big boy, time’s a ticking and our baby will be ever so sad to see you go to work without saying goodbye!” the tiefling smiled, propping up onto his tip-toes to give Fjord’s cheek a smooch before walking out of the room.

“Tell the human I said hi, would ya? He usually comes in on Friday’s, doesn’t he?”

Fjord stiffened in place, his cheeks reddening at the implication of Molly’s words.

“Fuck you, Molly!” Fjord called back, walking into his bathroom and closing the door, only to swing it back open just seconds later.

“And we’re not adopting him!” Fjord rolled his eyes when the only response he got was a bellowing laugh.

Tieflings…

* * *

“So, you’re telling me, that sometime during the night, a _literal_ random ass street cat broke into your apartment _just_ so it could curl up on your chest and fall asleep?”

Beau stared at him in disbelief, the coffee stirrer in her hand jabbing in his direction at every emphasis.

“That’s precisely what I’m saying,” Fjord responded, tilting the milk jug away from the takeaway cup and turning his head to face the latest customer. “Chocolate on your cappuccino, ma’am?” he asked, holding up the shaker.

The half-elf lady in line looked up from her phone, a tired but genuine smile on her face appearing as she nodded.

“Alright. One cappuccino, two lattes and a flat white. Anything else we can get for you today, ma’am?” Fjord murmured, fingers tapping away at the cashier screen as he rang up the customer’s total.

Quickly scribbling a message on the notepad she brought with her, the half-elf smiled again as she turned it towards him, displaying a simple message of << _No, thank you :) _>> under her order as she reached for the pots of sugar and stirrers displayed on the front of the counter.

Feeling Beau lean into his space, Fjord held in a sigh as she propped herself over the counter with a lazy smile. “Are you sure there isn’t… _anything_ else, we can get you?” Beau asked slyly. “Like, anything, you name it and we’ve probably got it. Anything you want.”

The lady blushed, her cheeks now matching the deep red scarf she wore to fight off the autumn chill as she fumbled with her purse. Raising a hand, she quickly but politely signed a decline of Beau’s advances.

“That comes to 5 silver pieces then, please,” Fjord intervened quickly, nodding as the half-elf gently drops the coins into his palm and grabbed her drinks, waving in farewell and blushing yet again at Beau before leaving the coffee shop.

“Do you have to flirt with every female customer we get?” Fjord sighed, pushing the cash drawer closed and turned to his friend in time to see her blanch in response.

“What, no!” she protested, crossing her arms and looking away, “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Uh-huh,” Fjord muttered, giving her a side-long glance before turning to wipe down the coffee counter. “What happened to you trying to get it on with Jester?”

“Nothing!”

“Nothing?”

“Just…” Beau’s voice trailed off, making Fjord smile.

Beauregard was a hopeless flirt, never holding herself back from tossing out the occasional compliment and attempt to chat up whichever female she came across that caught her eye.

It was, however, ever more ridiculous when it came to her attempts at flirting with their fellow hyperactive blue friend.

Anyone in a ten-foot radius could easily tell how fallen for Beau was for Jester; with how quickly she would spin a joke during a group conversation only to face Jester to see her reaction. Or how she would purposely have her hair down, fully knowing Jester would compliment it each and every time she did and, if she was lucky, would offer to braid it for her.

In short, it seemed that every person who knew Beau was aware of how deeply infatuated she was with the bright girl. That is of course, everyone but Jester.

“What happened to you offering to take her to the bowling place out of town?” Fjord asked, rinsing off the cloth he used in the corner tap before turning around to face his friend, keeping an eye on the door at the same time for any customers.

“Couldn’t book it,” Beau mumbled.

“Oh?”

“Turns out she’s banned,” the human continued, clearing her throat, “apparently swung too hard on a bowling ball last time she was there and caused it to uh, be thrown into the ceiling and make a huge hole. Lots of structural damage, got kicked out and is apparently banned for the foreseeable future.”

Fjord blinked, “Holy shit.”

She laughed, scratching the side of her head, “You’re telling me!”

“So, where are you going to take her instead?”

“Ah, I dunno,” Beau pouted, slouching slightly, “you know I’m not good with this… date stuff.”

Fjord hummed, allowing the low chatter of the customers drinking and having conversation in the café wash over them before breathing in.

“Why not take her to the roller-skating rink just opposite of the bowling place?” he offered, trying to make himself look busy by restocking the tea bag jars.

“Dude, seriously?” Beau guffawed, “Roller skating? Did you forget about the amount of times I fell on my ass the day we went to the ice-skating rink last year?”

“Nope,” Fjord popped, and it was true.

He hadn’t forgotten the amount of times he heard Beau yell bloody murder every time she slipped on the ice and crashed onto her backside. Nor had he forgotten the amount of times she’d complained to him on the drive home when he offered to give her a lift, as the headache he’d received from it promised.

But the one thing he had _certainly _not forgotten was the amount of times Jester had nearly fallen from laughter every time Beau would topple. And how Beau would blush and find excuses to hold Jester’s hand when the tiefling offered to help her skate throughout the night despite the amounts of complaints she made.

“But you know Jester likes to skate, and maybe with practice, you could learn to enjoy it and do it more often with her. Gives you an excuse to hang out with her, maybe show off a bit…”

“Oh.” Beau’s lips pursed as she scowled, “Stop it, stop being smart. I hate it when you’re being smart.”

Fjord let out a hearty laugh, leaning into Beau’s space, “Just trying to help out a friend. Especially a friend who has the hots for someone so badly.”

“Who has the hots for who now?” a chipper voice interrupted them, causing Fjord to jump and Beau to yell in fright as they both turned towards the voice.

There, Jester stood. Short blue locks of hair pulled back with a colourful variety of bows, pink cheeks dusted with flour, and a cheerful smile on her face.

Fjord knew of many established café’s preferring their staff to wear proper uniform, and from years of working, spilling and training to be a barista at, ‘The Traveller’s Lollipop’, he quickly came to realize the value of a good apron.

Jester, on the other hand, wore no such thing.

Despite the constant dangers of ruining her clothes whenever the tiefling cooked in the kitchen, Jester felt no desire to wear an apron over the many fancy dresses she wore to work each day.

With smears of jam on her sleeves and sprinkles of icing powder splattered upon the dark corset she wore, Jester’s eyes flicked from Fjord to Beau repeatedly as she held a large tray filled with freshly baked goods still steaming, the sweet scent of pastries wafting in their direction.

“Nothing! Nobody! I mean-!” Beau squawked, looking at Fjord with wide eyes. “We! … We are just talking about… how _much_ Fjord has the hots for his new cat…!”

“Fjord has a cat?!” Jester gasped, dropping the pastry tray on the counter dramatically to put her hands on her hips, ignoring the looks she receives from a few of the seated customers.

“He’s not _my_ cat,” Fjord denied, deciding the play along with Beau’s change of topic for now. “He just showed up at Molly n’ I’s last night, ended up staying the night.”

“But I thought you were allergic Fjord! Is it going to stay with you? Will you keep it? Can I _see_ it?” Jester pleaded, jumping into the half-orc’s space at every question, pouting slightly.

“In all honesty Jessie, I haven’t had the time to work out what’s happening with the cat right now.” He sighed, “I can’t exactly keep him, apartment policy and all that. But I can’t exactly go around asking if anyone’s lost their cat lately either. It’s a big town, it’d take an age.”

“You could make some posters,” Beau piped up, “Take a picture of the little guy and put em up around town and see if anyone gives you a ring. Where is he now?”

“At home,” Fjord pulled out his phone, opening his messages to show the two the multiple amounts of pictures Molly had sent him throughout the day of him posing with the feline.

Some of them included a caption which eventually led on to a painful cat pun, whilst others were simply poses or pleas for their ‘son’ to see him home soon.

Fjord had thought it would be too much to ask for the tiefling to not get attached.

As Fjord continued to swipe through each picture, the delightful coos of Beau and Jester synchronized at each one, their faces crowding the screen comically.

“Molly seems overly attached,” Beau commented, moving away from the device to the tray Jester had brought out to begin stocking them in their rightful pile on display.

“That’s what I feared would happen.”

“He’s so cute, Fjord! Are you sure there’s no way you can’t keep him?” Jester asks, plucking his phone from his fingers to flip through each of the pictures all over again.

“Not without being kicked out of the building, Jessie. Besides, lil guy might have an owner wondering where he’s gone off too. Wouldn’t hurt to try looking for them before any other decision is made.”

“Well, if they loved him so much, they would probably take better care for him,” Jester bluntly stated, handing him back his phone.

“Besides!” Jester continued, staring the half-orc down with a gleam in her eye, “You’re not meant to be on shift today Fjord, keeping an eye out for someone special, hmm?”

Fjord felt himself shrink in place as his grip tightened on his phone, his cheeks flushing the further both Jess and Beau smiled knowingly at him. The pronunciation of his name strung out was almost amusing if the reason behind it was innocent, but Fjord knew what she was implying… or _who_ specifically she was implying about.

“Just need the extra cash is all,” he tried to casually say, knowing full well he wasn’t fooling anyone.

“Has he come in yet?” Jester whispered to Beau with a cupped hand despite the half-orc standing right beside them.

Beau shook her head, mimicking Jester’s hushed voice as she spoke, “Not yet, but it _is_ Friday!”

Just as Fjord opens his mouth to tell them to knock it off, the café’s bell above the door tinged, announcing the presence of new customers.

Turning their heads towards the noise, Fjord froze at the familiar sight of two beings entering the building.

In a blur, Jester reached for Beau’s hand and entwined their fingers, pulling her from the counter to the back of the café with a thumbs up to Fjord before disappearing completely. If Fjord had paid better attention, he would’ve taken notice the bright blush on Beau’s cheeks as she was pulled away, but alas…

Holding open the door was a human, his eyes deeper than any shade of blue Fjord had seen upon his travels on the sea. His hair was a rich red, and today was pulled into a half updo, the occasional loose strands falling upon his freckled cheeks and curling to frame his face. He wore an old but obviously loved brown coat, with a long grey scarf wrapped in bundles around his neck, helping to fight off the morning autumn chill.

Beside him stood a goblin, her long dark hair falling in streaks across her face as she wore a thick black scarf along with a dark grey hoodie. As they entered, her arms waved to and fro as she talked, as if retelling a grand tale.

Though his consistent nodding to his friend showed he was paying attention to her, Fjord couldn’t help but notice the faraway look in his eyes the further they approached the counter.

Finally looking up at the man, the goblin’s crooked smile melted into a saddened expression as she drifted off from her story, gently taking one of his hands in hers. Whispering something to him, the human straightened his posture and smiled weakly down at her, muttering something before nudging her in the direction of a free table.

It was true that Fjord didn’t have a shift today, being such good friends with Jester as his manager certainly had its perks on the amounts of days he could have off. But he also knew that the man in front of him only came in once a week on one specific day.

Therefore, it wasn’t any surprise that Fjord made the decision to come in the one day he was booked off, and the one-day Mr. Handsome Blue Eyes would walk through the door either.

Beau be damned, he wasn’t going to pass on the chance of being on the receiving end of that smile he felt was reserved for him alone. It felt as if Cupid himself had fired an arrow into his heart the moment he saw that dimple appear as the man laughed at the joke Fjord made of the seasonal drinks at the time.

“_Tell the human I said hi, would ya?_” Molly’s jest from earlier flashed in his mind, making Fjord shake his head as the man walked up to the counter, thin fingers twisting together before laying on the counter-top as their eyes met.

“Hallo,” he greeted quietly, gaze flickering to the coffee board above them despite already having an order Fjord’s learnt by heart.

“Hey there,” Fjord smiled, already lost in the deep blues of the other, “the usual?”

“Please, ja. And a latte for my friend here, anything stronger than that and she will be more than I can handle already.” The joke fell dryly between them, but Fjord grinned none the less as he tapped the order onto the till screen.

“Anything else I can get you other than those?”

“Nein. No, thank you.”

Nodding, Fjord turned to make a start on the drinks, his hands smoothly grabbing tools and mugs with practiced ease so both would be served at the right temperature.

The man’s eyes seemed more tired than usual today, the bags under his deep blue's more pronounced than the last time Fjord had seen him.

Glimpsing over his shoulder as he filled a pot with boiling water, Fjord watched the human as he stared off into space, brow pinched as he was lost in thought. The only movement betraying his frozen state being the rhythmic tap of his fingertips drumming against the wood.

‘_You could ask him what’s wrong,_’ Fjord thought, placing the top onto the teapot and setting it aside before moving on to making the latte. ‘_Nothing intense, just friendly conversation. You’ve talked before about… things… it won’t seem out of character for you to ask…_’

Fjord bit his bottom lip, feeling his tusks dig into his gums as he weighed his options.

‘_You could always be rejected too. Mr. Too Attractive to Possibly Exist could find your questions invasive, would probably call you out on it and loudly claim you to be a creep and never come to the café again…_’

Fjord frowned, slamming the milk jug harder than necessary back onto the coffee counter after pouring its contents into the mug.

‘_Just ask him, maybe you’ll finally get to know his name if it goes well.’_

Mind decided, Fjord made quick work of the latte and turned around as he took in a deep breath, placing the drinks in front of the red head causing him to snap out of his thoughts.

“Not that it’s any of my business,” he started gently, purposely catching the gaze of the man before continuing, “but are you doing okay? You seem… off today.”

The human blinked, obviously not expecting Fjord to pry.

“You don’t have to give me an answer,” Fjord added quickly, “you just seem to have something on your mind and I uh, hope I don’t come across as too invasive by offering my ears to you if you need to talk about something.”

The silence between them was almost deafening, and Fjord almost wished for another customer to enter the café just so Fjord could avoid the painful rejection he’d likely receive for trying to meddle in someone else’s business.

Instead, the man let out a sheepish breath through his nose, hand coming up to scratch his trimmed beard self-consciously.

“Am I that obvious?” he chuckled lightly, eyes meeting Fjord’s shyly as he shuffled from foot to foot.

“Maybe I’m just awfully perceptive,” Fjord joked before relaxing his stance. “Honestly though, you doin’ okay?”

“Ah, it is nothing serious. Just… lost a friend is all.”

“Oh…” _Shit._

“Not-!” Quickly realizing his term of phrasing, the red head raised his arms and spoke quickly. “My apologies, I did not intend for it to be phrased so darkly. A friend of mine has simply gone missing, is all.”

The human coughed awkwardly, fiddling with the fabric of his scarf as a shading of pink spread across his cheeks, highlighting a vast constellation of freckles.

‘_Cute,_’ Fjord thought, trying his best not to wonder how far down the flush went on the others pale skin, not to mention the amounts of freckles the man had elsewhere.

“I’m uh,” Fjord coughed, squashing down that trail of thinking quickly before his cheeks grew any redder, “I’m sorry to hear that-”

“Caleb.”

Fjord felt a pull in his neck at how fast his head jolted to meet the other’s, whose face had somehow flushed even pinker as he rolled his lip with his teeth almost tantalizingly.

Many a time in Fjord’s life had he felt himself teased with things dangled just out of reach as he grew.

But _this_?

Torture shaped into a being of pure beauty with hair so soft and eyes so profound and wonderful? A form so elegant and hands so dainty that Fjord wished nothing more than to cradle them carefully and apply feather-like kisses to each fingertip?

“My name is Caleb.”

_Caleb_.

“Well Caleb, it’s good to finally properly meet ‘ya,” Fjord smiled, chest tightening as Caleb -_Caleb!_\- ducked their head shyly, chin tucked into the many folds of his scarf.

“It is good to meet you too. I apologize for misdirecting you earlier, it is just that my friend had left my home some days ago and I fear something may have happened to them as they have not returned for quite some time…”

“Seems like a reasonable excuse for being so out of it, if you ask me,” Fjord replied, “sounds like you miss them quite a bit.”

“I do,” the human sighed, his expression falling from one of radiance into one of deep sadness in a matter of seconds. “He is a very dear friend of mine and I am not used to him not being with me for such a long period of time.”

Fjord frowned, watching the other’s demeanour quickly reverse back to how it was at the beginning of their conversation.

‘_Great job Fjord, now you’ve made him sad all over again. Now what are you going to do?’_

“Actually,” Fjord spoke up, crossing his arms to lean onto the counter, “if you want, uh, we have a notice board up front by the door, usually have some posters for shows and advertisements ‘n such but you could leave a picture or somethin’ of your friend, see if anyone in town’s seen them lately?”

Like a spell, Fjord watched as Mr. You So Fine looked over to the cork board behind him, which was currently covered in many an advertisement, before looking back to the half-orc with a look of renewed eagerness.

Caleb let out a small smile, “That would help a lot actually, ja. Thank you. Would it be alright for me to simply return in a few days to place one up?”

“A-absolutely,” Fjord stammered, “I’m in most days already if you need any help… putting it up…”

Caleb’s lips twitched upwards, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Picking up his tray, Fjord watched with a sinking feeling as Caleb prepared to disengage their conversation, naturally to leave and spend time with the person he had originally come in with to pass the morning together.

‘_Of course, he didn’t come in here to spend time with you. You _work_ here idiot. Say something or he’s gonna leave!’_

“You know!” Fjord spoke up again, his typical drawl coming out in a high-pitched squeak making the other pause. Clearing his throat, he continued, “Jester, our baker, made a fresh batch of some cherry puff pastries some minutes ago…”

“Oh?” Caleb asked, eyes flickering to search for the specific treat through the display glass. Finding it, the red head let out a wistful sigh.

“It has been a long time since I’ve eaten a kirschtaschen…”

“Yeah, um. And I thought, well. Here, on the house for taking up your time.”

Quickly grabbing two plates, Fjord slid on two of the pastries and placed them in front of the man whose mouth was agape in shock.

“Nein, I couldn’t! Let me pay for them at least,” Caleb quickly protested, dropping the tray back down to reach into his coat pocket to bring out his wallet once more.

Fjord waved his hand, “Please, I insist. This one’s on me, they’re called kirshtashe right? In Zemnian?”

Caleb blinked, before letting out a short laugh at Fjord’s attempt, “Kirschtaschen.”

“K-Kirshtaschen?”

“Sch, like a shh noise. Kirschtaschen.”

“Kirschtaschen…?”

“That’s it!”

And there it was, that smile that made Caleb’s features light up like the sun’s rays peeking through rainy clouds, reflecting off raindrops to create a scene of absolute beauty.

Fjord swallowed thickly, his tongue feeling too heavy to respond as he watched Caleb hesitantly place the kirschtaschen onto his tray, fingers rubbing one of the plates thoughtfully.

“Thank you for this. It was nice speaking with you again, mein freund,” Caleb smiled.

Picking up his tray, Caleb turned in the direction of the table where his friend was currently sitting, her large yellow eyes peering at them suspiciously as she watched their conversation.

“N-no problem.”

_Mein freund._

“I hope you find your friend again soon, Caleb!” Fjord blurted out, his body jolting forward to lean over the counter and bumping his hips painfully against the edge.

Glancing over his shoulder, Fjord watched entranced as Caleb’s face softened, feeling the thundering of his heart as he caught sight of that dimple once more on the man’s face as he walked away.

That _damned_ dimple.

“Danke sch_ö_n, Fjord,” he whispers, before turning away.

‘_Holy shit.’ _Fjord thought, stomach twisted and heart thumping as he stared after the angel with widened eyes.

_‘Holy shiiiiiit._’

Fumbling for a piece of cloth, Fjord wiped the counter back and forth vigorously, his mind racing a mile a minute.

‘_He knew my name_,’ Fjord thought, ‘_he knew my name, he knew my name, he knew my name..._’

Fjord froze.

He knew his name.

How did Caleb know his name?

“Well then-”

Fjord yelped, leaping away from Beau who had somehow snuck upon him as he was lost in thought, her gaze unfazed by Fjord’s near heart attack.

“-that could’ve gone worse.”

“Beau!” Fjord hissed, hand placed over his heart.

“I mean, I’m _shit_ at conversations myself, but that was just… _oof_! Do you _want_ him to know you spend more time giving him heart eyes whenever you come in here than the work you’re being paid for?”

“_Beau_!” Fjord wheezed this time, head spinning to Caleb’s table to ensure he wasn’t listening in.

There, Caleb sat with his friend, both thankfully too immersed in their own conversation to pay attention to Beau’s big mouth. Pouring the pot of redbush tea into his cup, Caleb’s shoulders shook from laughter as the goblin proceeded to stuff her face with the pastry in front of her.

As if feeling Fjord’s gaze, Caleb’s blues crinkled into a smile as he caught the half-orc staring, mouthing a ‘thank you’ before returning to his conversation.

Fjord couldn’t think his cheeks could redden any further.

Hand grabbing Beau’s, the human protested loudly as Fjord tugged her into the back of the café, the door swinging closed behind them.

“He knew my name, Beau! How could he know my name? Did you tell him? Beau, I swear if I find out you told him my name-!”

“Woah there, big guy!” Beau snorted, hands raised in mocking surrender as she leaned against the wall. “Cool it, unless you’ve forgotten, you _are_ wearing this thing which has, you know, your name on _full_ display for the world to see.”

Pointing to his apron, Fjord blinked down to see her indicating at his name clearly blocked out in capital letters on the nametag pinned crookedly to his clothing.

“Oh…” he muttered sheepishly.

“Oh, indeed.” Beau parroted.

Fjord slumped against the wall, hands coming up rub his face. He could _feel_ how red it was.

“I don’t spend all my time giving Caleb heart eyes…” he protested weakly, the sentence coming out muffled through his fingers but proved understandable from the laugh Beau gave in response.

It was quickly cut off with a pained yelp as Fjord blindly aimed for her shin with his heel, making him snicker as she began to spit curses before falling quiet.

“So…” Beau awkwardly started, “Caleb, huh?”

Fjord snorted, peeling away his hands to raise an eyebrow at his friend, her face pinched into a trying expression.

“Ye don’t have to do that Beau, much as I appreciate it.”

“Oh,” Beau’s face immediately relaxed into a small smile, “you know how shit I am at love advice, man.”

“I know.” Fjord snickered.

Feeling a fist collide with his shoulder, the half-orc let out a whined protest as he cradled the now bruised area.

“Jerk.”

“Asshole.”

Beau snorted, leaning against the wall beside him.

The two breathed for a minute, knowing full well that they’d have to return to the front before the lunch hour queue began piling up. And the constant orders for cinnamon or pumpkin spiced drinks threatened to drive them mad and reduce their stock alarmingly.

“So… what did you two talk about?” Beau asked, purposely sliding so her shoulder bumped into his, causing him to wince in pain.

“Yer awfully interested in this, Lionett. What’s your game here?”

“What?” Beau drew out the word, arching an eyebrow, “Am I not allowed to know the details of my best friends love life?”

“Beau…” Fjord bristled.

He swore, if he blushed any more this day his head was going to burst like a cherry.

“We just talked, is all,” Fjord mumbled, “he lost somebody recently, so I offered him the cork board.”

“You offered him the… Fjord, what the fuck?”

“Not like that!” Fjord rubbed the bridge of his nose, “I offered for Caleb to put up a poster of his friend to see if anyone knew where they were, is all.”

Beau frowned, squinting her eyes at him as if to see if to gain insight on whether he was lying or not. “Huh, and that’s _all_ you talked about?”

“Yes.” Fjord said through his teeth, head hunkering low. ‘_I learnt his name.’_

Hearing the ringing of the bell, Beau shrugged her shoulders, pushing herself off the wall to face the door.

“Alright man, just know you can talk to me.”

She glanced at him, arms coming up to tighten her hair bun and pulled her best customer smile.

It was still a work in progress.

“I know, Beau,” Fjord smiled, “just let me work it out a bit for myself right now, okay?”

Beau grinned at him, arm reaching out to push open the door.

“Just make sure to pay for those cherry pastries, yeah? Or Jester’ll have your arse.”

Fjord groaned, sliding further down the wall dramatically as Beau walked back out to the front to attend the customers.

This shift was going to drag, Fjord just knew it.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and Comments are appreciated!  
Thank you for reading!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr via lawrydouche


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